Teacher accused of sex with student

Sep. 24, 2013
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by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A Bismarck middle school teacher has been charged with having sex with a 15-year-old student, and she could face up to 15 years in prison, if convicted.

Susan Duursma, 34, was charged Monday with three counts of corrupting or soliciting a minor.

Her attorney, Tom Dickson, told the Associated Press that she will plead not guilty.

Duursma, a physical education teacher at Wachter Middle School, is accused of a sex act with a 15-year-old boy three times between March and July, including once at her home and twice in a vehicle, according to KXMB-TV.

"There's always two sides to every story; sometimes these situations are a little more complicated than they might appear initially," Dickson told the AP. "Susan will get her opportunity to explain her side of what happened."

South Central District Judge David Reich set Durusma's bond at $1,000 and stipulated that she not have contact with any minors other than her own child. He didn't set her next court date.

Bismarck Superintendent Tamara Uselman told The Bismarck Tribune that she received a complaint about Duursma late Thursday, concluded it had merit and forwarded the information to police on Friday. The school district has put Duursma on administrative leave while officials decide what to do.

This was Duursma's seventh year with the Bismarck schools. Her file has no previous complaints or concerns, Lisa Kudelka, the human resources manager for Bismarck schools, told the Tribune.

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